Community worker commits suicide

Fujairah An active member of the Indian community who was found dead on April 29 in Masafi in Fujairah hanged himself, Fujairah Police have confirmed.

Vasudevan Sugathan, aged 61, was employed as an X-ray technician at the Ministry of Health in Sharjah for the past 37 years.

Among community members he was better known for his work as secretary of the Sharjah unit of Sevanam, an Indian community organisation, affiliated to the Indian Consulate's Indian Community Welfare Committee.

Hundreds of residents attended his funeral on Sunday at the crematorium at Jebel Ali.

Awards

Last year he received an award from the Ministry of Health for his professional services and also another award from the Sharjah Indian Association for community services.

He is survived by his wife, his daughter and son, who are both working here in the UAE. The family comes from Kollam in Kerala.

"On Sunday, Sugathan drove himself to Masafi from Sharjah and hanged himself … at a construction site. He spoke to his children and asked them to take care of their mother and asked for their forgiveness before switching off his mobile phone," a source close to the family said.

"He was facing financial issues, apparently after borrowing money from some individuals. There were also some family issues."

"He turned up for work on Sunday, but left after taking leave. His body was found the next day," added the source.

Sugathan's death is an irreplaceable loss for his family and for everyone who loved him, M.K. Rajan, UAE Chairman of Sevanam, said. "I have known him for 20 years and I don't think he had financial issues which could not have been resolved. I'm not sure what led him to take that decision."

Sreedharan Prasad, community welfare convener at Sevanam, said: "He was one of the pillars of our association, being a founder member who established Sevanam ten years ago."

Helped those in need

He not only responded to those who were in need of help but made sure a solution was found, said Prasad.

Remembering his last interaction with Sugathan, he said a few days ago three Indians who were on their way to Saudi Arabia were stranded at Sharjah airport due to a visa issue and were suffering with no food or money, drinking just water from the restrooms.

‘Hand out money'

"Within minutes after I informed him about this, he got some of his contacts at the airport to hand out money to those people."

There have also been numerous cases where Sugathan helped get medical bills for tests waived for the poorest of the poor labourers, Prasad added.

"It is ironic Sugathan committed suicide because he has helped many people survive the most desperate times in their lives," said a Sharjah resident. "Having known him for years, it is likely he may even have borrowed money to help out other people," he added.